


To The Winter That Will Bless The Coming Spring

by Killerofkawaii



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Bingus and Bimbus are best friends, Fluff, M/M, Royalty AU, Toast and Rae are mentioned once, could honestly be interpreted as platonic, is there angst? Possibly, probably confusing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:48:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29625870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Killerofkawaii/pseuds/Killerofkawaii
Summary: It’s quite a wonder.Corpse doesn’t know how people can enjoy winter. It is a privilege to enjoy winter, because the wind would rip through walls and the snow would cave in roofs. You had to be wealthy to enjoy winter. You had to be wealthy and pretentious to enjoy winter.Which is what he used to think, of course.Because Sykkuno enjoyed winter.
Relationships: Corpse Husband & Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF), Corpse Husband/Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 161
Collections: Server Event: Valentines 2021





	To The Winter That Will Bless The Coming Spring

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NewSpoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewSpoon/gifts).



> I am so sorry to Spoon, this was supposed to be a Valentine’s Day thing and it’s not Valentines but it’s done :) 
> 
> Fantasy/Medieval AU
> 
> Thank you Jesan for being my beta!
> 
> Always keep in mind: This is a fic describing a gay relationship between two straight people. This fic is a shipping fic meant to portray their online personas, even if the events taking place seem to be off camera. Please understand that this is made entirely for fun and not to intentionally offend or make anyone uncomfortable. Shipping can be fun in the context that it is not forced into the lives of the people involved, no matter how much they may poke at it for fun or content. That being said, please enjoy the fic and the ship.

It was a bit odd, their first meeting.

Corpse was covered in dust and had smudges of dirt on his face from working with his crops. He at least had his mask to protect himself from eating dirt. The fall harvest went well, or about as well as it could considering it only needed to feed himself and a little extra to sell. 

“Meow?”

And some for the stray cats.

Corpse lived most of his days filled up with doing paid heavy labor to get by. He had a small cabin, plot of land and two hens. Living alone meant not having to share food or space, but it certainly led a lonely life, especially considering the half hour walk to the nearest town. Corpse didn’t mind though. Being so far out meant little chance of other people coming in search of loot, be it in the cabin or in the small field.

So it was a surprise, one day while he was making sure that his fences were all sturdy along the edge by the forest, he heard an indiscernible and short scream from within the forest. Looking back, it was a rather foolish thing that Corpse did, running straight in with a few seconds of hesitation. The forest was rumored to be filled with wild beasts, vicious bears and relentless wolf packs, only someone foolish would run into it unarmed.

Corpse had to search, getting a bit anxious when he realized that the person had gone silent since the first scream. The forest was quiet with its ambiance, soft chirps and gentle rustles of leaves and grass. Just as Corpse was beginning to think he’d just imagined it, heavy footsteps rapidly approached him from behind. He snapped around, raising his hands in a meager way of hopefully protecting himself, but the large white blur rammed straight into him, tackling him to the floor. Just based on the panting above him, Corpse knew opening his eyes would leave him staring at the wolf that would kill him now. He clenched his eyes closed, thinking of soft beds and warm fires to distract him from the pain that would be his death.

Only to be met with a slobbering tongue.

“What the fuck—“

“Bimbus? Bimbus, where are you?”

At the sound of the other person’s voice, the wolf was up and off of him. Corpse immediately sat up and wiped at his face with his sleeves before opening his eyes. He expected an intimidating wolf tamer, or maybe even one of the fabled lycans. Perhaps a ferocious man to match the wolf that had just attacked him.

What he didn’t expect to see, however, was an adorable young man giggling and petting the wolf as it licked at his face like a noble’s lap dog.

Corpse couldn’t help but stare in... well, awe wasn’t entirely the best choice of words, but it was certainly interesting to see such a lithe man nearly cuddling up to a wolf that could very well weigh more than him. He was dressed nicely, dark green tunic decorated with dyed twine, long belt sash, tan pants and tall leather boots. Even atop his fluff of brown hair was a neatly woven ivy crown with little white flowers poking out of it. In other words, the gorgeous stranger petting the wolf looked like a mythical fairy.

“Bimbus, you’re so silly! Don’t go running off!” He giggled as the wolf- Bimbus, apparently- stopped licking him in favor of looking at Corpse, who tensed up upon making eye contact with the animal. This seemingly helped the stranger realize that he wasn’t the only person there, turning to him and eyes widening.

Wow, those were some gorgeous eyes. They were sparking in the scattered sunlight under the canopy of the trees, glistening like perfectly filtered honey, like amber and tiger's eye rolled in one—

“Oh Jesus! I didn’t realize- Bimbus did you- oh Jesus!” The man stood up and brushed off his knees, his entire demeanor changing from an endearingly excited... wolf owner to a shy young man that looked about ready to curl in on himself. “Hey there, um, I’m sorry about Bimbus! He ran off chasing a squirrel when I got, uh, got distracted with some flowers...”

Corpse didn’t know how to respond, what with how anxious the man seemed and how intense the stare he was getting from the wolf. Would the wolf attack him if it thought Corpse was going to hurt him?

“Uh, it’s no problem. He... uh... he startled me, that’s for sure.” Corpse rumbled, watching the ever common widening of eyes upon hearing his voice. Looking carefully, however, the man didn’t seem scared.

“Oh wow! Your voice is really deep, m-much deeper than mine I mean. N-not that that’s a bad thing, of course! I just mean like comparing them, like uh, like comparing our pitch, uh...” The stranger was so quick to word vomit all around, bouncing off of his own sentences before Corpse had the chance. Glancing down when he saw movement, Corpse watched as the wolf— Bimbus, he reminded himself— shifted to move his head under the man’s hand, which then gave him some scratches. At least the poor guy wasn’t trembling anymore.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. At this point I’m used to it.” Corpse replied nonchalantly, earning him a relieved breath and a smile that was quickly hidden behind his hand. “Anyway, uh, what’s your deal?”

“Huh?” The man’s head tilted and Corpse couldn’t help but draw up similarities between the man and a curious puppy. “My deal? I- um... I’m not sure what you—“

“I mean like, what are you doing in here? Everyone knows this place isn’t quite just a walk in town. This place is filled with bears and bandits.” Corpse glanced down at Bimbus, who had gone from getting head scratches back to licking at the man’s hand. “I would include the part about wolves... but it seems like that wouldn’t be a problem for you…”

“Oh! That’s what you meant!” The man giggled from behind his hand before grabbing a pouch off of his belt. He opened it and pulled out a small blue flower, holding it up for Corpse to see. “I’m looking for these! They don’t grow in many places, but this part of the forest is filled with them! I need to get them before winter, cause they’re all going to die and I’m sure I’ll be needing these once snow comes.”

Corpse couldn’t believe it. “Flowers?” The man looked up from putting the flower pouch back onto his belt sash, confused at his tone. “You went into the most dangerous part of the forest to look for flowers?” 

The man’s brows furrowed and his cheeks got the slightest bit puffy, honestly looking a bit like an upset rabbit. “They’re not just any flowers! They’re hiems teporem flowers! I don’t even know your name and you’re already insulting what I do in my free time!”

Corpse rolled his eyes, hand coming up to pinch at the bridge of his nose. “Oh really? I’m insulting you by being concerned as to why you are wandering the forest in search of tiny blue flowers?”

His face fell and his hand came to fiddle with one of the pieces of twine on his tunic. “W-well... when you put it that way… um…” 

Corpse sighed, walking a few steps forward towards the man before holding his hand out. “Don’t make me feel bad giving me that look. I go by Corpse around these parts.”

The man looked up, yes he was taller than him, with wide eyes before breaking out into a smile. While one hand came up to cover his mouth, the other took Corpse’s hand and shook it. “Well then, Sir Corpse! My name is Sykkuno!”

Sykkuno, huh? That was an odd name if he’s ever heard one, not that he remembered enough names to have much comparison. The name certainly wasn’t from the nearest town though, oddly enough, seeing as he had never heard of any name even close to the uniqueness that was Sykkuno. 

“So, Sir Corpse, what brings you to this neck of the woods?” Sykkuno asked curiously, having let go of Corpse’s hand to go back to petting Bimbus. 

“Uh, you can drop the Sir, Sykkuno. I just go by Corpse.” He awkwardly mumbled before pointing in the direction of his home. “I live just over there. I heard screaming and thought someone was getting attacked and needed help.”

Sykkuno’s face then quickly dusted into a soft red, both hands flying up to cover his mouth. “Y-you heard that? Oh Jesus, I’m so sorry, I-I didn’t mean to bother you, I swear! It’s just, um, Bimbus accidentally bumped into me and, well, I was crouched over trying to, um, ya know, get some hiems teporem flowers that I found!” Sykkuno was flustered. If his voice wasn’t clear enough of an indication, the way one of his hands stayed covering his mouth as the other basically flailed around was. “B-but then he bumped into me and-and then I fell over. It would have been fine, r-really, but then a really big spider came over while I was on the ground! It was bigger than my hand! I-it looked like it was going to eat my face! So... um... yeah, I um... I was the, uh, scream you heard…”

Corpse didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh, seeing as Sykkuno was endearingly skittish for someone who so nonchalantly came into the forest. He was about to comment on it when Sykkuno’s stomach rumbled loudly, causing his face to turn a brighter red. 

“Oh Jesus, I am so sorry. I think I skipped over lunch!” Sykkuno turned to Bimbus, patting his head. “I’m sorry, the walk home is going to be hard for us on an empty stomach.” Bimbus whined, seemingly understanding exactly what Sykkuno was saying. “I know, I know, I’m sorry. It’s mother and father that decided to live so far out from the capital, of any other town for that matter.”

He didn’t know what spirit possessed him in that moment. Maybe it was empathy since he knew what it was like to go home hungry. Maybe it was the way Bimbus was whining almost miserably. Maybe it was because he wanted to keep their company for a little longer… or rather, his company…

“Why not come to my home? I live very close, I can cook you something or you can head to Alea Ludo.” Corpse tried to ignore the two excited puppies that eagerly turned to him. The human’s stomach actually had timing and rumbled again.

“Really? Oh Sir Corpse, that’d be wonderful! Doesn’t that sound great, Bimbus?” Sykkuno giggled as he got some excited licks from his companion. “I’ll be sure to pay you for this, I have some silver.”

“Don’t bother, Sykkuno. Just don’t judge my cooking too harshly.” Corpse waved his hand to dismiss the offer, despite knowing he probably should if he wanted to have a comfortable winter. “And, again, it’s Corpse around here, you can drop the formalities.”

Sykkuno hummed, seemingly unbothered, and followed Corpse as he began walking back to Corpse’s home. Corpse watched as Sykkuno, while following, had the attention span of a small puppy as he walked. His eyes would flit from a fallen leaf to a mushroom then to Bimbus and back to a butterfly, and while he normally found easily distracted people annoying when interacting with them, Corpse found himself smiling from behind his mask.

Once they reached his home, Corpse wondered if he should come to regret bringing Sykkuno. His home was nothing more than a large shack with the bare minimum to survive. Just looking at his burlap shirt fashioned from a flour bag compared to Sykkuno’s dyed green cotton shirt with lacing made for a clear difference in class and wealth. He was about to turn around and make a polite excuse for the messiness and size of his house when Sykkuno gasped and ran forward. Sykkuno bent down and seemingly picked something up, cooing a little before turning around and proudly holding up his catch for Corpse to see.

Bingus, the hairless stray cat that came to visit Corpse at least three times a week, was purring in Sykkuno’s arms as the man cooed and gave him gentle rubs. 

“You’re so cute! I’ve never seen a cat quite like you before!” Sykkuno was positively gushing at Bingus, and the two of them seemed to be basking in the affection they were exchanging. When Bimbus came over, Sykkuno knelt down to let them be at eye level. “Look Bimbus! A pink cat!”

“His name’s Bingus.” Corpse added quietly, feeling like he could melt at how warm this scene was. Were all human interactions like this? It felt surprisingly nice.

“Oh? Is he yours? He’s really cute!” Bingus was visibly preening at the attention, rubbing his face against Sykkuno as the man pressed kisses onto his head. 

“Sort of... Bingus comes and goes, but I’m pretty sure he’s just a stray that comes around.” Corpse came over to give Bingus his usual scratches behind the ear before backing off towards his house. “I make sure to feed him whenever he comes, so I usually eat only fish. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh I’m not picky! I think Bimbus is actually more particular with his food than I am!” Sykkuno giggled, earning a soft bark from Bimbus as he followed Corpse to his door. So far so good, Sykkuno’s attitude hasn’t changed since he saw Corpse’s home. Maybe he was a bit distracted by Bingus, but he wasn’t at least outwardly showing his disgust. 

Corpse opened the door and welcomed Sykkuno in, pointing to the two chairs by his small eating table. “It’s kinda small here, sorry about that. I don’t have guests... very often.” 

He was ready for Sykkuno to cringe. He didn’t seem like the guy to just up and leave, maybe he’d make an excuse and politely leave. Instead, Sykkuno was grinning and set Bingus down, much to the cat’s noise of displeasure of losing his cuddle companion.

“Oh please don’t worry about it, Sir Corpse! A smaller home doesn’t mean anything. It can make it cozier!” Sykkuno hummed, pointing to the small fireplace. “Plus, it’ll be warmer in the winter! You can be all cozy!”

Corpse wondered if Sykkuno knew he wouldn’t be able to afford enough firewood to last the whole winter. The cold was already seeping into the thin wooden walls without the fireplace having fuel. Plus, the fur blankets that would actually provide warmth were also way out of his winter reserve money. Several layers of burlap clothes would be all he needed, he’s survived worse. As Corpse lamented his thoughts, Sykkuno was bustling around and humming, both Bingus and Bimbus following him.

“Please, I can fix a quick meal for you to make it home.” Corpse said quickly, not wanting Sykkuno to go searching through only to find nothing. “Will soup be well enough?” Soup would be easy to prepare, and hopefully Sykkuno wouldn’t notice the lack of food which could be made up for with watery broth.

Sykkuno hummed and nodded. “Soup sounds wonderful! It’s cold outside and soup will warm us right up, isn’t that right, Bimbus?” Receiving a bark and a meow, Sykkuno was kneeling down and going back to holding Bingus like a baby. “Oh you don’t have fur to keep you warm! How are you gonna survive when snow comes?” 

Corpse took advantage of Sykkuno being distracted by Bingus, quickly pulling out the three bowls he owned. One would be for himself, the other two would be for Sykkuno and Bimbus. Bingus was used to drinking out of a cup when Corpse couldn’t bring himself to wash his few dishes. He grabbed one of his larger pieces of dried fish from one of his crates, putting it on a plate. 

“I’ll be right back. I need to get a pot of water.” Corpse rumbled quietly, getting his only pot and stepping towards the door.

“Oh I can do it! You need to cut this fish, right?” Sykkuno intercepted him, hands free of the meowing cat. “Plus, I saw some calla lilies nearby, I can grab them so we can make the soup more flavorful!” 

Before Corpse could even argue about Sykkuno being the guest and that getting well water would be difficult, he was already out of the door, bucket in hand. He could hear Sykkuno humming and talking quietly to Bimbus, and Corpse was left in a bit of awe before meowing caught his attention. Bingus hadn’t followed, instead, he was on the table Corpse used for kitchen purposes. Corpse sighed as he came to give Bingus a few rubs on the head before pulling out his knife and beginning to cut the dried fish into thin strips. He had never thought of using calla lilies to bring flavor into food, then again, he was never trying to make it taste better. When there wasn’t enough money to promise food every day, using as little food as possible would make it easier to ration.

When Sykkuno came back, he smelled of the sweet flowers that he had brought with him, smiling and explaining how he saw a little frog as he poured the water into the pot. The two of them fell into a smooth harmony, with Sykkuno having to prepare the calla lilies and Corpse listening to him explain how to cut the flowers and pick the ones with the best flavor. Soon enough, hot fish soup was served in bowls for all of them. Corpse had tried to give Sykkuno more soup in hopes of him not noticing how watery the broth was, but Sykkuno was quick to spot the difference and made sure that they had equal portions. Corpse looked at his bowl and then at Sykkuno’s bowl before quietly taking it with a nod. He wouldn’t comment on how much of a hypocrite Sykkuno was.

The soup was different with calla lilies. It was sweet, but not overly sweet to where it combatted oddly with the fish. Corpse found himself enjoying food for the first time in a long time. It had also been a while since he had a full bowl.

Sykkuno kept most of the conversation going, even if he fumbled on his words and went on long stuttering tangents, Corpse was surprised at how easy it was to talk to him. Especially considering that they had only met mere hours before. Once they were finished, Sykkuno insisted on helping to wash the dishes, even the ones that had already been sitting in the basin. In fact, he tried to give Corpse some silver in thanks for the meal, and Corpse was refusing because it didn’t feel right. Everything Sykkuno did, oddly enough, put Corpse at ease. He was so used to being self reliant, but here came Sykkuno, insisting on doing it all and taking no credit for his effort. Corpse was used to being alone. Now he’d had a taste of comfort, and he didn’t want to let it go.

Luckily, he didn’t have to.

Corpse thought that that would be the last of Sykkuno he’d see, so he was pleasantly surprised when Sykkuno came back knocking on his door a few days later. Metaphorically, of course, Corpse was tending his crops as always when he heard Bimbus barking. He turned and saw Sykkuno, dressed again in his green dyed clothes, only this time he was donning a large basket and there was a large bag strapped on Bimbus’s back.

“Hi Mr. Corpse!” Bimbus and Sykkuno stood at the edge of the crop plot, seemingly not wanting to step on the farmland. “You wouldn’t let me pay you back, so I thought of another way!” He held up his basket excitedly. “My sister helped me make custards! I promise I tried really hard on them!” 

Custards. So Sykkuno really was someone of good wealth, or at least knew someone with wealth. Someone like Corpse couldn’t even think about buying a tart, one treat from certain bakeries could pay for an entire week of rations.

Still, he stopped his work and went over to Sykkuno, absently wiping his hands on his pants. “You made some custards? You’re gonna put my soup to shame, Sykkuno.”

“Of course not! I’m not good at salty savory foods, so I'll take over the sweets side for us!” Sykkuno hummed, cheery as ever. “I promise I’ll make you something each time I visit!”

Each time I visit. That’s a promise of return, wasn’t it? The wind was picking up and giving Corpse chills, through his thin shirt, but his heart felt warm and he was smiling.

“Well then, hopefully I won’t get a stomach ache from all the sweets.” 

Then they were inside, talking absently about the sweets possibilities. Sykkuno was delighted to find out Corpse had no allergies, rambling on in his soft voice about how he loved making sweets for just about everyone. When he opened the basket to reveal perfectly made custard tarts, Sykkuno was sheepish in explaining that he had run into some children and couldn’t help but share the treats, hence there being less. Corpse was in awe hearing that, seeing as there were still at least a dozen in the basket. Just how many had he made? 

And then he tasted it. Had he ever had custard before? Maybe as a young child, but it definitely wasn’t as delicious as this one. Corpse found himself humming happily and closing his eyes, hearing Sykkuno make happy little noises as he clapped. Never had he tasted something so delicate, it was like an addiction was already building up. 

So that was how it started between the two. A meeting in the woods and sweets to come.

“Corpse what’s your favorite season? I know you’re more lax towards it, but I feel like someone’s favorite season can say a lot about their character!” Sykkuno brought it up out of nowhere when Corpse was munching on his homemade apple pie. 

He had to think about that one. Fall was the time of the harvest, summer meant harsh sun for longer. 

“Spring, I suppose. It’s like a new beginning so to speak.” Corpse felt like he was admitting something and quickly shook his head and turned to Sykkuno. “How about you? What’s your favorite season?”

Sykkuno stared at Corpse with a blank expression for a while, almost too long, before breaking off into a smile that he hid behind his hand. “Winter!” He hummed, setting down his slice of pie to clap. “Winter is like a promise for spring! And there’s snow, I love snow! Plus, Bimbus likes snow too!”

Corpse had to stop himself from saying “what a privileged answer”, he could say it to anyone but Sykkuno. Winters were cold and miserable times. Although there wouldn’t be many crops to tend to, the short days would still feel so long without suitable amounts of firewood to burn and keep the harsh wind from seeping into the cabin. Enjoying winter was something the poor couldn’t afford, with or without snow. 

“I can see it, snow is quite pretty. I simply prefer seeing flowers bloom from out of the snow.”

And again, Sykkuno was staring blankly, calculatingly. But soon he was back to smiling and giggling as Bimbus tried to steal some of his unattended pie. Taking bites out of his, Corpse wondered how many sweets Sykkuno was willing to waste on him before winter was to come.

Corpse would come to realize, after that conversation, that sweets were at the base of what he was receiving from Sykkuno. Each time he visited, he came with his basket and Bimbus’s bag. Inside the basket was a treat and inside the bag was something else, different every time. The first time had been a large fur blanket that was bigger than the thin cloth mattress he called a bed, double the size even. The next was a coat lined entirely with fur as well. A smaller coat for Bingus, a new pot, some farming tools when he found out Corpse’s was broken, the list went on. Corpse would even find silver, sometimes gold, in random spots around his little home after each visit. He tried to bring it up, tell Sykkuno he didn’t want the help. Saying he didn’t need the help would just be plain untrue. Though, saying he didn’t want the help wasn’t entirely true either.

And finally, Corpse was tired of it.

“Sykkuno, I’m serious. Why do you keep giving me stuff? You’re loaded, I get it, what’s the point of showing it off if you’re just wasting it on me?” 

Sykkuno was silent, frozen. Corpse had never used a snapping tone like that, he was almost growling. His delicate fingers started twisting the laces in his shirt and his bottom lip was being nibbled on. What was the reason? Was he a charity case? Was rich boy Sykkuno bored of his usual rich boy lifestyle? Corpse didn’t even know if Sykkuno was his real name, let alone what his surname was. If Sykkuno ever decided to suddenly stop, would Corpse be able to continue with how much his body had adjusted to getting a constant amount of food rather than patchy bites?

He wasn’t ready for when Sykkuno finally spoke.

“Mortuus.” 

Where did he know that name from.

“Mortuus Maritus, that’s your name, isn’t it?”

And suddenly Corpse was on Sykkuno, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him in threateningly until their noses were almost touching eachother.

“How do you know my name.” It wasn’t a question, it was a growling command. Corpse was demanding the answer, not asking for it. Sykkuno, who had looked a little anxious before, was staring straight into his eyes without the slightest hint of fear.

“House of Maritus had a male heir that was twelve before they fell. You’re in the age range, fit the description, it's a simple deduction.”

“Black curly hair and, what, pale? Blue eyes? Sykkuno, in case you haven’t noticed, that description fits a lot of people!”

And then there was a hand on his face, gently cupping his cheek. Sykkuno’s eyes were soft, his voice even softer.

“They got your eyes wrong.” He murmured quietly, brushing away his long bangs to reveal his green eye. “You were always good at hiding it, do you still wear your eyepatch when you go into town?” 

How did he know that.

House Maritus was a long standing line of nobles whose head served as one of the dukes to the king. It wasn’t until the duke and duchess unexpectedly died and the young daughter was forced to marry in order to inherit the house and take the title. That’s where it went wrong. Mortuus was the only heir from that daughter, and corruption from the new duke eventually led to the fall of the house because of the many enemies that the new duke gave them. The duke and duchess fell to an assassin, and while no body was found, it was assumed Mortuus was also killed in the fray. Few who believed the young heir was alive released his description, but once the house fell to complete ruin, everyone eventually gave up on finding the teenager who would likely be dead at that point. Not to mention the boy would have nowhere to go.

That was common knowledge, so it didn’t explain what Sykkuno knew.

Mortuus was born with heterochromia and the duke forced him to hide it, seeing as it was sometimes seen as a bad omen to have such a mistake. The duke was nearly ready to slash his own son’s eye to make sure it stayed closed, the duchess was just sober enough to convince him otherwise. The heterochromia was kept secret between the duke, the duchess, Mortuus, and his wet nurse. Other than that, it was assumed that the heir had gotten an injury during his childhood and wore an eyepatch to keep it hidden. 

Corpse tried to remember if someone else had known, but his memories from that day and age seemed so impossibly far. 

“I don’t think you remember me. I was about eight, you would have been three or four.” Sykkuno murmured absently, hand having moved to twirl the strand of hair that fell over the olive eye that was wide with emotion. Fear, anxiety… awe. “We met because our families were interested in marrying you and my sister. It was a little weird, since she was like, a good 7 years older than you… but that’s besides the point.” Sykkuno smiled sweetly at Corpse, “you ran away from my sister and straight into me. Whenever I visited your estate as my parent’s bargaining chip, you would run up and hug my legs, follow me around like a pup.”

Corpse, despite having no recollection of this, began to blush a little. Though, maybe it was the proximity between them that Corpse was finally becoming aware of. 

Wait a minute. If there had been an arrangement for a marriage between his and Sykkuno’s family… 

“Just who are you, Sykkuno?” Corpse murmured, voice soft in volume and rough in his throat. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how little he knew about Sykkuno. At this point, it was clear Sykkuno wasn’t even his real name.

“My full name is Thomas Pullulant, second son of House Pullulant. Though, I prefer Sykkuno.” He hummed, finally taking a step back from Corpse and giving him enough space to breathe. “Sykkuno is my familial nickname, and you somehow made it even shorter. You used to say ‘Sy’ because you couldn’t pronounce the entire thing.” Sykkuno was giggling now, hiding his mouth behind his hand bashfully as Corpse’s cheeks turned even brighter. 

Corpse was silent as his hands began to shake. He had done so well to escape the old life he had escaped all those years ago. No one had even suspected him when he had come to take refuge in a recently abandoned shack too close to the woods for anyone sane to live in. An eyepatch was easy to excuse with a simple story of a wolf that got too close and living in seclusion as a mute outlander made for too easy of an escape from people. He lived his life dirt poor and was both ready and willing to live this way for the rest of his life.

And in comes Sykkuno, likely the only person to know of the truth in all of the world. 

“What could you possibly want from me, Sykkuno? Or should I say, Thomas?” Corpse tried to keep the bite in his voice, though he almost stopped when Sykkuno visibly flinched. “What could the heir to the House of Pullulant want from someone like me? I have no riches for you to steal, no honor for you to claim, nothing. If anything, you have everything I could ever want, anything you ask for you could have it. So what is it that makes you stay here and spoil a man with things he couldn’t even dream to afford?” Corpse was gasping for breath in between spouts, eyes closing and eyebrows furrowing. “Pity, isn’t it? I’m not the little noble boy that used to get abused by the selfish, power-hungry monster that married into my house and took everything my family had worked to build longer than your house even existed! I will not stand to be the social experiment and plaything of yet another man who thinks he can hold power over my head. I would rather die!”

Corpse wanted to keep going. After so many years, he had some kind of outlet, something to put some blame for his struggles. But then he opened his eyes and every bit of anger that had been dripping from each word died on his tongue.

Sykkuno was crying. It was silent if not for the tiny hiccups that bubbled up every so often. Despite now knowing that they had a near five year difference in age, Sykkuno suddenly looked so young, so vulnerable, that Corpse felt like he had just screamed at a child.

And then he was being hugged. Sykkuno was now crying noisily as he wrapped his arms tightly around Corpse. Frozen, he could only listen.

“You were the only friend I had when I was younger. No one wanted to be friends with a boy who wouldn’t amount to anything in comparison to his older brother. You were too young to understand and I just wanted to finally have a friend to hold close. And then everything happened and you… I knew you couldn’t have died, I... I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t let go of the one person who used to hold so dearly to me. And... and… ”

Corpse found himself feeling warmer than he had ever, tears streaming down his face. His arms moved to hug Sykkuno in return and cup the back of his head. “It’s okay… It’s... it’s okay, Sy…” And to think, how odd it was to feel some kind of memory with such a simple nickname.

“I got Toast to help me. I-I mean, um, you probably know him as Torro Reticentur, the heir to the House Reticentur. A-anyway, he and Rae helped me. Oh you probably don’t know, um, Rachel Volaticus, from House Volaticus. I promise they don’t know, I told them I was looking for a friend and they didn’t ask.”

“So you have friends now, don’t you?” Corpse asked quietly, still holding the older man as Sykkuno also seemed to not have plans to let go any time soon. 

“I do, they’re very nice--”

“Then why stick around here? I feed you soup that’s more water than broth and you spend money to spend time here. What in the world is making you stay here? Is it because you feel sorry--”

“It’s because I’m selfish.” Corpse was silent, not expecting to be cut off by Sykkuno. “You make me feel special, you’re special. I mean.” Sykkuno huffed, seeming to take a deep breath to find the right words. “When I’m here, I am Sykkuno. Anywhere else, I’m Thomas. The second son to House Pullulant, the nobel who can’t catch himself a wife, the man who spends most of his time in the woods avoiding etiquette classes because the teachers are all older women who get too handsy trying to tell me which fork to use first even though I already know.” Sykkuno shook and Corpse held him tighter. “You make me feel like Sykkuno. It’s something I’ve been holding onto and didn’t want to let go of. I wanted you to keep making me feel this way, even if it meant lying to you. I’m sorry, I...”

Corpse shushed him and kept his hold. He would be able to do this. 

They would be able to do this.

Thinking back to their seasonal conversation, Corpse quietly murmured in his ear.

“Be my first warm winter, and I’ll bless your eagerly awaited spring.”

He could hear Sykkuno smiling as he responded.

“To the winter that will bless the coming spring, may it be that warmth and happiness is what you bring.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how this was supposed to end but tadaaaa it ended! Hope you liked it Spoon, Happy (belated) Valentine’s Day!


End file.
